Magnetically Responsive Liquid Crystals Enable Novel Display Apps

Scientists at the University of California, Riverside, have constructed liquid crystals with optical properties that can be instantly and reversibly controlled by an external magnetic field, paving the way for novel display applications.

The crystals open up the possibilities of applications relying on the instantaneous and contactless nature of magnetic manipulation, such as signage, posters, writing tablets, and billboards.

Commercially available liquid crystals, used in modern electronic displays, are composed of rod-like or plate-like molecules. When an electric field is applied, the molecules rotate and align themselves along the field direction, resulting in a rapid tuning of transmitted light.

The new liquid crystals are essentially a liquid dispersion, a simple aqueous dispersion of magnetic nanorods, says Yadong Yin, an associate professor of chemistry, who led the research project. They use magnetic nanorods in place of the commercial nonmagnetic rod-like molecules. Optically these magnetic rods work in a similar way to commercial rod-like molecules, with the added advantage of being able to respond rapidly to external magnetic fields.

On application of a magnetic field the nanorods spontaneously rotate and realign themselves parallel to the field direction, and influence the transmittance of polarized light.

The magnetically actuated liquid crystals developed by Yin's Lab have several novel advantages. First, they can be operated remotely by an external magnetic field, with no electrodes needed. (Electrical switching of commercial liquid crystals requires transparent electrodes, which are expensive to make.) Second, the nanorods are much larger than the molecules used in commercial liquid crystals. As a result, their orientation can be conveniently fixed by solidifying the dispersing matrix.

Will these molecules provide better response time to magnetic field as in traditional LCD's the motion pictures are not that sharp. Also traditonal LCD do not have pure black images. But the new crystals maybe will be able to response to EMF or light too that will open up possible applications in smart devices where light detectors can be buildin the displays.

It sounds like another benefit of this technology is that the pixels can be larger which would be a benefit for billboards or large screen displays in public venues. The speed of reaction and the ability to make a uniform magnetic field so that the pattern within the pixel is consistent would seem to be issues requiring resolution.